Oysters and other Edible Mollusca. 135 



The conventional ring-gauge of oysters is two and a 

 half inches in diameter, and this, it is thought, might be 

 reduced to two inches. 



Some 36,000 bushels of oysters have been taken to the 

 coast of Kent to lay down in beds for the London market, 

 and large quantities are bought by French and other 

 merchants, the French giving the highest price. 



The French Oyster Fishery. — To show the importance 

 of the French oyster fishery, it may be stated that more than 

 30 years ago the value of the oysters taken at the two ports 

 of Granville and Cancale realized ^22,000. At Granville 

 105 boats, employing 760 men, took 18,750,000 oysters, 

 and at Cancale 187 boats, with 1083 men, took only 

 8,000,000 oysters. The Granville oysters then sold at 19 

 francs 62 cents the 1000; Cancale oysters at 21 francs. 



In a report submitted to the Emperor Napoleon by 

 M. Coste, he showed that the production of oysters on the 

 plan recommended by him had taken such a prodigious 

 development, that in the He de Re alone more than 3000 

 men, who had come from the interior, had established 1500 

 parks, which produced annually about 371,000,000 oysters, 

 of the value of from 6,000,000 francs to 8,000,000 francs. 



To show the consumption of Paris, and the great in- 

 crease of price, the following figures may be given : — 



Consumption. Price per loo. 



Francs. 



1804 ... 17,200,000 ... ... — 



1846 ... 47,400,000 ... ... 338 



1852 ... 77,900,000 ... ... 2-27 



1858 ... 57,600,000 ... ... 3-58 



1868 ... 26,500,000 ... ... 7 '20 



The price has since advanced to over 12 francs the 100, and 

 the effect has been to stimulate the development of ostrei- 

 culture. 



